50 Management and Development Companies to Watch for 2009

Note: This list is not an endorsement of any company.


Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America (ASCOA). ASCOA rigorously helps its partners achieve outstanding results. The company was formed by Brent Lambert, MD, FACS, Tom Bombardier, MD, FACS, and George Violin, MD. Its senior leadership team now also includes CEO Luke Lambert, CFA, and CFO Robert Westergard, CPA, as well as several others. The company has grown to be one of the best privately-held ASC chains in the country. It currently operates 25 surgical centers in many different states. Its typical model includes a minority ownership interest plus a management and development agreement. ASCOA is one of the most highly competent companies in the ASC arena. It focuses on turnarounds and new centers. www.ascoa.com

 

Ambulatory Surgical Group (ASG). ASG was founded in 2008 by long-term ASC veteran John Seitz. John has founded this company with the intent of providing high level management consulting and development services to ambulatory surgery centers. A key differentiator of the Ambulatory Surgical Group is the ability for physicians to own 100 percent of the equityin the center. In essence, ASG does not need to have equity in the surgery centers that they manage. The two core leaders of ASG are John Seitz and Stuart Bruck. Stuart is also a long-term healthcare veteran with broad leadership experience in healthcare business administration. He joined the company as a co-founder. www.ambulatorysurgicalgroup.com

 

AmSurg. AmSurg, with 170 ASCs, is highly focused on 3,000 to 5,000 square foot single specialty centers. It is one of the few pure-play, publicly-traded ambulatory surgical center companies remaining. The company hired CEO Christopher Holden in 2007 and has accelerated its growth and acquisition pace since his hiring. It has one of the few models that include no management fee and it focuses heavily on GI, ophthalmology, orthopedics and ENT. www.amsurg.com

 

Acumen Healthcare. Acumen, headquartered in Georgia and Texas, works with both physician-owned centers and physician/hospital joint-venture centers. It provides development, operation, accounting and often other services on a non-equity basis. Its leadership team with more than 20 years of ASC experience includes Tom Pritchett, Andy King, Mark Dunlap and Tina King. www.acumen-healthcare.com

 

ASC Strategies. ASC Strategies is a privately-held ASC consulting company that works with hospitals, physicians and other professionals to help them develop and successfully operate surgery centers. Lead by ASC veterans Joan Dentler and Jessica Nantz, ASC Strategies specializes in conducting ASC assessments to review all aspects of existing center operations and identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency and quality of care. In addition, ASC Strategies assists clients with ongoing operational oversight, CEO services, financial forecasting, strategic planning, as well as project feasibility, development and accreditation/licensing preparation. www.ascstrategies.com

 

Blue Chip Surgical Center Partners. Blue Chip Surgical Center Partners focuses extensively on spine, multi-specialty and physician/hospital joint-venture centers. It was founded by ASC veteran Jeff Leland who was previously a developer of ASCs at ASCOA. It also has great leadership, and managed care expertise in Jay Rom, Beth Ann Johnston, RN, BS, Richard Roski, MD, FACS, and several others. With several highly profitable, physician-led centers in operation around the company and a number of projects in the works, it has been remarkably successful. The company has a reputation for delivering on its commitments and forging strong physician relationships. It holds an equity stake in its projects and also serves as a managing partner. www.bluechipsurgical.com

 

Cirrus Healthcare. Cirrus has greatly expanded its growth and development over the past few years. The company is led by CEO Tim Parris, president John Thomas and general counsel Linda Moore. It also has a gifted CFO in Wayne Sparks. It has several hospitals and surgery centers in operation and continues to pursue growth. www.cirrushealth.com

 

The C/N Group. Founded in 1980 by Ravi Chopra, The C/N Group participates in the development, operation and ownership of outpatient healthcare facilities, including ASCs, diagnostic imaging centers and multi-specialty clinics. Familyowned and -operated, the company employs more than 200 people at its various facilities. Self-funded by members of the executive management team, including Rum Chopra and Raj Chopra, the firm has grown significantly over the last few years. www.thecng.com

 

Community Health Systems (CHS). CHS is an operator of 110 hospitals in 29 states. It had $7.2 billion in revenues in 2007. CHS, with the acquisition of Triad, has grown into a sizable operator of ASCs. While principally a hospital company, it also has increased leadership, such as Tim Bogardus, in the ASC arena. www.chs.net

 

Congero Development. This company, which was traditionally a developer, has grown to provide management and development services to surgical centers and other types of healthcare facilities. Led by Bruce Wallace and Kathy Wallace, the company has strong references and reviews on their services. Bruce Wallace, CEO, remains bullish about ambulatory surgical centers and about medical real estate in general. Congero is a minority owner in its centers and helps with the syndication and all aspects of the operating company. It also brings a tremendous amount of real estate experience to the table. www.congerodev.com

 

Covenant Surgical Partners. Nashville, Tenn.-based Covenant Surgical Partners is led by Michael Koban, Jr., chairman of the board of directors, and Richard Jacques, president and CEO. It acquires and operates single and limited specialty surgery centers in partnership with physicians. Mr. Koban has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive in hospital management while Mr. Jacques has more than 15 years in the ASC industry, including holding positions at Surgical Health Group and AmSurg. Marnix E. Heersink, MD, is Covenant’s vice chairman of the board of directors and chief medical officer, and is a founder and a member of the Southern Alabama Surgery Center. www.covenantsurgicalpartners.com

 

Elite Surgical Affiliates. Elite Surgical Affiliates, based out of Houston, manages and coowns ambulatory surgical facilities with surgeons. It was founded by Lori Ramirez, CEO, who has more than 12 years experience in surgical development, operations and management. She has successfully partnered with more than 350 surgeons, played a critical role in recruiting more than 100 new surgeons and has been successful in restructuring and turning around failing partnerships. Elite Surgical Affiliates has a number of facilities under development, including two orthopedic and pain management joint ventures and a spine hospital. www.elitesurgicalaffiliates.com

 

Facilities Development & Management (FDM). FDM is led by Ed Hetrick, president and CEO, and Ellen Johnson, vice president and COO. The company, a terrific growth story, was founded in 1992. It provides consultative, developmental and managerial services for ASCs nationwide. Since its founding in 1992 by Mr. Hetrick, the company has developed close to 50 ASCs. FDM also partners in de novo centers with physicians and hospitals, and re-syndicates existing ASCs. www.facdevmgt.com

 

Foundation Surgery Affiliates. This company, with nearly 20 facilities, was founded in 1996 by Thomas A. Michaud, a pioneer in the ASC industry, who continues to oversee significant expansion in ASCs and hospitals. The company operates centers in many states, and many of these centers are very successful. It has branched out into the business of bariatrics (weight-wise), CBO services, ancillary physician services and training and the operation of hospitals. www.foundationsurgery.com

 

Global Surgical Partners (GSP). GSP operates nine multi-specialty ASCs in two states. The company’s centers’ activities are decentralized, but the administrators are employed by GSP, which takes a very hands-on approach financially and clinically. Headed up by J.A. Ziskind and Ken Arvin, GSP enters into long-term management agreements and acquires minority interests in its centers. www.globalsurgicalpartners.com

 

HCA. HCA is the largest for-profit operator of hospitals in the country. HCA currently operates 114 ASCs as well as 166 hospitals. It had revenues of $26.9 Billion in 2007. www.hcahealthcare.com

 

Health Inventures. Health Inventures, founded by Richard Hanley in 1995, was one of the original non-equity management and development companies focused in the ASC industry. It is now often an equity partner in joint ventures as well as a manager and developer. Richard Hanley, Paul Davis, Dennis Martin and Peter Fatianow and a highly qualified management team continue to expand the mission of the company. www.healthinventures.com

 

HealthMark Partners. HealthMark Partners specializes in turnarounds and de novo ASCs. It is one of the true growth stories in the ASC industry. Over the past year, HealthMark Partners has combined with another ASC company, Alliance Surgery, and added Charlie Neal, an outstanding ASC veteran, to its leadership team. It provides a very hands-on approach to management and usually only owns minority interests in centers. Bill Southwick serves as CEO and president of HealthMark Partners, and Kenny Spitler serves as the chief development officer. The company has a great team of vice presidents. www.healthmarkpartners.com

 

Instantia. Instantia was founded by Jack Amormino and Lisa Freeman to provide ASC development and consulting services to surgical centers. Mr. Amormino has long been involved in the ASC industry as CEO of American Medical Buildings, a turnkey facilities developer. www.instantiahealth.com

 

Medical Consulting Group (MCG). MCG is a national firm specializing in medical consulting, both at the surgical practice and corporate levels. MCG provides ASC development and management solutions for single, multispecialty and hospital joint-venture facilities. It offers both fee- and equity-based partnerships, along with ongoing facility management, including billing and collections services. Its ASC leadership team includes Stephen Sheppard, CPA, COE, and Rob McCarville, MPA. MCG has completed over 30 centers and currently has more than 10 ASCs under various stages of development. MCG also provides business solutions and marketing strategies for practices and corporations across the country. www.medcgroup.com

 

Medical Facilities Corp (MFC). MFC is a Toronto Stock Exchange company (trading symbol (DR.UN). It was developed by the physicians of Black Hills Surgery Center and Sioux Falls Surgical Center in South Dakota. The company owns 51 percent or more of four hospitals and two ASCs. It provides its centers or hospitals with a liquidity option that does not involve giving up management. www.medicalfacilitiescorp.ca

 

Meridian Surgical Partners. Meridian has completed several large acquisitions of surgery centers. It now has nine facilities. Meridian has highly intelligent leadership and has recently expanded into the ASC turnaround business. It has a broad range of centers spanning the country, from the Pacific Northwest, to Pennsylvania and Florida. Founders CEO Buddy Bacon, President and Chief Development Officer Kenny Hancock and Executive Vice President and COO Cathy Kowalski, RN, head up an outstanding management team. The company has great experience with both surgical centers and hospitals. www.meridiansurg.com

 

Mowles Medical Practice Management. Mowles Medical Practice Management is one of the leading companies in the country with respect to the development of pain management centers. CEO Amy Mowles has an expertise in pain management that is almost unequaled in the ASC industry. www.mowles.com

 

National Surgical Hospitals (NSH). NSH is one of the leading surgical hospital companies in the country. It is led by Rhodes Scholar John Rexwaller. By focusing the company principally on owning and developing hospitals with physicians, the very deep management team has been able to demonstrate proven results. NSH has taken a leadership role in the industry and made incredible contributions to the physician-owned hospital trade association, Physician Hospitals of America. www.nshinc.com

 

National Surgical Care (NSC). NSC centers in 2008 performed more than 111,000 cases, had more than 325 surgeon partners and six hospital partners. NSC is led by Sami Abbasi, chairman and CEO, Rick Pence, president and COO, and Greg Cunniff, CFO. It has expedited growth in 2008 and has a very disciplined and professional management approach. www.natsurgcare.com

 

Nikitis Resource Group. This company was founded by the brilliant, hardworking and entrepreneurial Tom Galouzis, MD. Its leadership includes such industry veterans as Bob Scheller and Dawn McLane, RN, MSA, CASC, CNOR. The company manages several centers and develops other centers. We expect the company to have continued growth and success.

 

NorthStar Healthcare. This company was founded by Donald Kramer, MD, and a group of Canadian investors. It operates ASCs in Houston and Dallas. The company initially acquired the center owned by Dr. Kramer and other physicians as well as two other centers and three pain management clinics. The company is traded under the symbol NHC on the Toronto Stock Exchange. www.northstar-healthcare.com

 

NovaMed. NovaMed is one of the very few pure-play publicly-traded ASC companies. It had an incredible year of growth in 2008. NovaMed completed several acquisitions. The leadership team includes outstanding people such as Tom Hall, Tom Chirillo, Bill Kennedy and John Lawrence. It has an outstanding reputation as a high-integrity company with which to do business. NovaMed is in the business of both developing de novo facilities as well as acquiring majority interests in existing ASCs. www.novamed.com

 

Nueterra Healthcare. Nueterra owns and operates a great number of surgery centers. Nueterra is on a substantial growth pace and continues to expand into ancillary business. The company named John Schario, a terrific leader with an outstanding reputation, as its CEO in 2008. www.nueterra.com

 

Orion Medical Services. Orion was founded by President and CEO James Cobb. It is also led by such notable people as CFO and Executive Vice President Scott McNulty. It provides a turnkey approach to all aspects of ASC development and management for surgery centers throughout the country. The key members of management have extensive medical backgrounds, which helps them to guide ASC partners to excellent profitability, high quality care and improved efficiency. The company currently has a number of centers on the West Coast — with specialized experience and expertise in neuro-spine surgery centers, and continues to evolve nationally. Orion generally owns a minority share in its ASCs. www.orionmedicalservices.com

 

Ortmann Healthcare Consultants. Ortmann Healthcare Consultants, founded by Fred Ortmann, specializes in hospital/physician joint ventures but it also does a significant amount of work for physician-owned facilities. Ortmann Healthcare Consultants has developed ASCs in over 30 states. The company’s leadership has been involved with the design, development and turnkey operation of more than 60 ASCs. www.ortmannhealth.com

 

Pacific Surgical Partners. Pacific Surgical Partners was founded by Don Cook, a long-term surgery center veteran. He has started his new company with a few surgery centers in the Los Angeles area. His core goal is to become a leading development and management company focused heavily where it can impact managed care and other relationships in southern California. www.pacificsurgicalpartners.com

 

Physicians Endoscopy. Physicians Endoscopy is the most focused company in the endoscopy area. Physicians Endoscopy has an outstanding core management team and delivers outstanding services to its centers. It focuses solely on GI and endoscopy centers, typically owning a minority interest in and managing its centers. It often also provides billing services to the centers. www.endocenters.com

 

Pinnacle III. Pinnacle III is quickly evolving as a leading provider of consulting and management services to physician-driven surgery centers in the areas of hospital joint ventures, turnarounds and hospital outpatient strategies. Pinnacle III has increased its management depth with the leadership of Rob Carrera, Rick DeHart and Scott Thomas. The company is on the short list of leading firms that provide both equity and non-equity models, though it is focusing on expansion of its surgical network through equity ownership. In addition to its development services, Pinnacle III provides a wide array of other services including, but, not limited to: ASC management, coding, billing and collecting, facility reviews, feasibility studies and financial forecasting. www.pinnacleiii.com

 

Practice Partners in Healthcare. Practice Partners is led by President and CEO Larry Taylor. Mike Rickman is the COO. Marc Goff, a 30-year ASC veteran, also recently joined the leadership team. Practice Partners is a minority owner of ASCs. It is a privately-held, Birmingham, Ala.-based company. It specializes in de novo and turnaround situations. Practice Partners owns minority interests in several centers. It charges no development fee. The company model is physician-centric and focused on hands-on management. The Practice Partners team operates at the highest levels of responsiveness and dedication to our physician and hospital partners. www.practicepartners.org

 

Prexus Health Partners. During the past two years, under the leadership of president and CEO Ajay Mangal, MD, MBA, Prexus Health invested significantly in its infrastructure (people and systems). Prexus Health has a team of top-notch executives, talented midlevel managers, and solid business systems. During 2009, Prexus Health will emphasize the continued growth of its physician- driven hospital product line (“small focused community” hospitals and “surgical” hospitals) building on the success that Prexus Health experienced in 2008 (two denovo hospitals, converted a successful surgery center to a hospital and rescued a financially troubled physician-owned hospital). www.phcps.com

 

Regent Surgical Health. Regent Surgical Health focuses primarily on turnaround and de novo ASCs. It owns interests and manages physician-only centers, physician-owned hospitals and physician/hospital joint-venture ASCs. It currently works with 15 ASCs and two physician owned hospitals. Several of its projects have hospital owners. Regent always owns a minority interest. It has operations in approximately 12 states and is a leading operating company in the ASC industry. Founded by Harvard Business School alumni, Tom Mallon and Mike Karnes, Regent has a great leadership team and outstanding administrators. Regent Surgical Health was one of the first companies to focus on turning around surgery centers. www.regentsurgicalhealth.com

 

RMC MedStone. RMC MedStone Capital and RMC MedStone Management were founded by R. Maurice Crowe, Dodd Crutcher and Mike Lipomi, bringing together many years’ experience and leadership in ASC and surgical hospital development, and operations, real estate acquisition, management and financing. The company recently added long-term ASC and hospital veteran Doug Johnson to its leadership team. www.medstonecapital.com

 

Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA). SCA operates 130 ASCs and surgical hospitals. This is the company that acquired the HealthSouth ASC division. It now has more than 2,000 physician partners. The company named Andrew Hayek, a brilliant healthcare leader, its CEO in May 2008. Joe Clark, an excellent leader, now serves as chief development officer. www.scasurgery.com

 

Sovereign Healthcare. Sovereign Healthcare is a privately-held company based in Orange County, Calif., that partners with physicians for the ownership and management of outpatient surgery centers. It is lead by Jeremy Hogue, president and CEO, who also works as an investor and consultant to numerous other healthcare-related ventures. Sovereign Healthcare’s facilities are located in California and Arizona. The company works with new and existing ASCs and is active with physician/hospital joint-venture ASCs. www.sovereignhealthcare.net

 

Surgery Center Partners. Founded by Samuel Marcus, MD, PhD, and George Tinawi, MD, Surgery Center Partners has a physician-centered approach that provides physician partners with majority control of their surgery centers. It offers planning and development, staffing and management, and billing and financial services. Surgery Center Partners has more than 18 ASCs affiliated with it or under development. The management subsidiary of Surgery Center Partners is Endoscopy Medical Surgical Organization, which handles ASC development through oversight of day-to-day operations. www.surgerycenterpartners.com

 

Surgery Consultants of America. Caryl Serbin, RN, BSN, LHRM, the founder of this company, is one of the most focused and best people in the ASC industry. Ms. Serbin runs a company that is known for doing what it says it will do and providing excellent guidance. It works often with physician/hospital joint ventures and also with physician-owned centers. Surgery Consultants of America is often brought in to improve the billing and collections of centers and to provide turnaround management for centers that have the capacity to succeed. Ms. Serbin also founded a successful affiliate company that provides billing and collections services. www.surgecon.com

 

Surgical Development Partners (SDP). G. Edward Alexander, president and CEO, leads a team that has been responsible for the design of more than 400 surgery centers, 40 hospitals, 150 imaging centers and 100 medical office buildings. The company says its focus is on helping physicians deliver the care they want by providing professional management, turnkey project development and access to capital. Tennessee-based SDP has completed surgery center development projects in a number of states including Georgia, Ohio, New Mexico and Tennessee, with plans to open several surgery hospitals in 2009. www.surgicaldevelopmentpartners.com

 

Surgical Health Group.The leadership team of Surgical Health Group has developed more than 150 ASCs in the United States over the past 17 years. The team is led by Rodney Lunn, who was a founder of AmSurg. Surgical Health Group provides a widearray of development and management services including choosing site location, securing financing, overseeing design and construction, budgeting, staffing, accreditation and negotiating contracts. www.surgicalhealthgroup.com

 

Surgical Management Professionals (SMP). SMP specializes in the management and development of ASCs and surgical specialty hospitals. SMP is led by R. Blake Curd, MD, chairman and interim CEO, who is also a board member of Physician Hospitals of America as well as a state legislator in South Dakota. The company has the unique history of having been created by the Sioux Falls Surgery Center eight years ago and, as such, still has employees deeply involved in the clinical aspects of running a center. In recent years, the majority of its projects have been in the area of joint ventures between hospitals and physicians in CON states. These projects have served to integrate the medical communities in which they operate. www.surgicalmanprof.com

 

Symbion Healthcare. Symbion operates ASCs and surgical hospitals through the United States. This company has one of the most stable and focused leadership teams in the country. In 2008, it acquired most of NeoSpine’s centers and had a terrific overall year. The team at the top includes people such as Richard Francis, Cliff Adlerz, George Goodwin, Ken Mitchell and Michael Weaver. www.symbion.com

 

Titan Health Corp. Titan, established in 1999, manages and develops approximately 18 specialty-focused surgery centers with an emphasis on orthopedics, spine and neurosurgery, and pain management, on a national basis. Titan’s leadership includes such industry leaders as David Hall, Marc Jang, David Thoene, Boyd Faust, and DJ Hill. Titan typically maintains a minority interest position and has a solid reputation as a smart and trustworthy partner. www.titanhealth.com

 

TRY Healthcare Solutions. Tom Yerden, ASC veteran and founder of TRY Healthcare Solutions, is principally involved in consulting with ASCs and hospitals. Tom previously founded Aspen Healthcare which was sold under his leadership to TLC and then to National Surgical Care. Tom has personally helped to establish more than 35 ASC joint ventures since 1992. He has an incredible ability to understand situations and help create longterm partnerships. He is an unusually gifted person and leader. Mr. Yerden is currently doing the best work of his outstanding career and is making a deep and positive impact on the clients he serves. E-mail Mr. Yerden at tyerden@aol.com.

 

United Surgical Partners International (USPI). USPI combines an outstanding core strategy with clear and disciplined execution. It has a great leadership team including veterans such as Don Steen, Bill Wilcox, Brett Brodnax, Evie Miller, Jason Cagle, James Jackson and Monica Cintado. USPI operates more than 150 different facilities, principally surgery centers, though it has a good number of hospitals as well. Most of its centers have a not-forprofit health system as a joint-venture partner. It continues to experience strong revenue growth through a combination of solid same-store sales growth, acquisitions and de nova centers. It is one of the most strategically smart companies in the surgery center market. www.unitedsurgical.com

 

Woodrum/ASD. Woodrum/ASD is one of the largest privately funded companies in the United States without venture capital. It manages and assists physicians and physician/hospital joint ventures on a national basis. The company’s principals have developed, owned and operated more than 200 ASCs nationally, and run for-profit and non-profit hospitals and group practices. Joseph Zasa is the president of Woodrum/ASD and has done a great job of providing leadership to the company and to centers. Joe is a lawyer by training and academics and has great analytical and business skills. He is both a great thinker and doer. Bob Zasa and David Woodrum, two of the founders of the company, are real leaders in the ASC industry and very actively involved in growing the company. It has added some very significant and topnotch professionals such as Sandra Jones and Paul Nylander to its roster of senior vice presidents over the last few years. Woodrum/ASD provides strategic services, operational and contract analysis, pre-development and development help, management and more to ASCs. www.woodrumasd.com

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